esprit de l'escalier

New TV addiction

Hello blog! I have been neglecting you, so far this year. I apologize. I would like to blame it on a newly acquired television addiction. You see, I returned from my new year's trip to Chicago with a borrowed copy of Season 1 of Fringe in my bag, and I haven't looked back.

My friend Shana (hi! thanks again!) lent me the first two seasons of Fringe when I met up with her for brunch. She had told me previously that I should watch the show, but it wasn't until Natasha sat me down and made me watch the pilot that I got what she was talking about. Natasha had spent her Christmas getting hooked on the show with her mother. (Shana, Natasha is finishing S2, and she's bringing it to me next weekend. I can't wait to get to it.)

Now, as some longtime readers and friends will know, I am the couch potato of my family, so me getting sucked into a television program is not exactly big news. (Although, I am the biggest reader of my siblings, so I like to think I balance myself out with the amount of tv I watch. Others may disagree.) What has been most fun about this newly found addiction is that I'm sharing it with my mother. Who has never been known for her tv watching.

One thing that has been fun about living with my parents these last 3 years has been watching a couple of tv shows with my mother. Namely, I got her hooked on Doctor Who, because as she was just telling me, she's been obsessed with time travel since she read Jules Verne as a child. She's been known to fall asleep during episodes, though. We've moved to other sci-fi shows, namely Primeval, which has not lived up to its potential, though we still watch.

I have never, ever, seen her this rabid about a television show. We started watching Season 1 last Sunday and finished this past Sunday, averaging 3 episodes a night. She is really not happy we have to wait on Natasha to get Season 2. (I'm going to get the first disc through NetFlix.)

What is it and why do we love it? It's a little like The X-Files, except for the helpless Scully constantly needing saving. Olivia Dunham is a FBI agent who gets sucked into solving crimes that have to do with fringe science. To help her is Walter Bishop, a literal mad scientist who has just been sprung from a mental hospital after 17 years, and his adorable, genius, ne'er do well son, Peter. Episodes deal with things like crazy viruses, animal mutations, mind control, etc., all pointing to some greater scheme. The pacing is fast. It's always nice to have a strong female lead who can take care of herself.

The acting is great. (Although Anna Torv, who plays Olivia, is Australian, and sometimes her American accent sounds wooden to me. It sort of works, though, for her part.) Walter is played by John Noble, who gets the arrogance, vulnerability, glee, and sadness of that character down perfectly. Walter is trying to remember things, and trying reconnect with his son, Peter. Peter is played by Joshua Jackson. Natasha and I argue about this casting. She thinks his babyface doesn't fit with his tough guy character. I think it fits just fine. (I was always more of a Pacey girl.) I love his interactions with Walter, and his growing feelings for Olivia.

In the end, I would whole-heartedly urge you to go check this out. My mother and I are annoyed that Season 3 is currently playing, and that we'll have to wait to catch up.

Here's a quick interview with Fringe creator JJ Abrams.

Hi

Hi. This month has been very busy, and it's almost over, but not before I go out of town yet again. I'm looking forward to the trip, but I'm also kind of tired. I knew I would be overdoing it a bit when I planned everything. Oh well.

Did anyone see Steven Moffat's update of Sherlock Holmes on Masterpiece Mystery last night? It was great. Moffat knows how to write slightly asocial geniuses and their friends along for the ride. It actually reminded me a lot of a great episode of Doctor Who. There was running, easy banter between the lead and his foil/sidekick. And wonderful casting. Benedict Cumberbatch is great as Holmes, but Martin Freeman as Watson is inspired, and their chemistry is excellent. (As an aside, Rupert Graves, who plays DI Lestrade, has been ALL over MM this season, appearing every show.)

If you missed last night's episdode, check it out online. Let me know what you think.

Mad Men

Oh Mad Men. This is a show that generally drives me crazy. Since it's inception it has been a show that I love to hate. Back in its early days, I go over to the now-defunct New Critics and join in on the live-blogging, but the show annoyed me - it seemed to be about a mess of unappealing people who continually made bad choices in beautiful period costumes. And I always felt that every significant moment was underlined to the point of hitting me over the head with it. I shouted, "I GET IT!" at the tv a lot the first season.

Blue Girl and I would write long emails back and forth after episodes full of exclamation points and annoyance. But I still watched it. I didn't want to be out of the loop - its cultural significance seemed too important. Before the third (and current) season started, I even started buying into the hype. Hell, I even Man-Men'ed myself. And I finally feel like my perseverance is paying off. 

For me, the third season has been about where the women were headed, especially Peggy and Joan (as Betty tends to annoy and bore me). But poor Joan got herself saddled with a creepy and useless husband, and I feared for her. Is it wrong for me to hope that now that her husband has enlisted he might get killed in Vietnam? I just hope she keeps working. And Peggy's rise and navigation through the boy's club has been interesting. I think next ep we'll see what else has been happening to her and Duck.

But last night's episode belonged to Jon Hamm's Don. Betty cornered him with his past and he came clean about who he is and was. It was a staggering bit of acting and he really does deserve all of the praise heaped on him. (Read Maureen Ryan's excellent overview of the episode. I love her recaps.)

Is anyone else watching? Blue, are you? I'd love to hear what you thought.

It was a dark and stormy night

I recently found myself watching (in rapid succession) the first 9 or 10 episodes of CBS's horror show Harper's Island. This was a couple of weeks ago, back when my laptop was still operable. I had caught part of an episode on television and found it more engaging than I initially judged the program, based on the previews I saw. I got pulled in and hooked. The last two episodes air tonight, but you can catch them all on CBS.

The premise is this, Abby Mills (played very well by Irish actress Elaine Cassidy) returns home to Harper's Island for her best friend's wedding. She grew up on this island, about 40 miles off the coast of Seattle, and hasn't returned since she was 17 or 18, after her mother and several others were brutally murdered. She returns home to try and come to grips with the past (including her estranged father, the local sheriff, and an old flame). Before long, people start disappearing and dying in terrible ways. (In fact some murders only the audience sees and the characters never fully understand or see.) Could it be the work of the original killer, John Wakefield, a copycat, or some new deranged psycho? Each episode, more people are killed and the story is slowly revealed.

From what I understand, the show hasn't been a big ratings grabber, but I think the idea for the show is interesting, and I think that it pulls off what it's trying to do. I find the serial mystery a great idea for tv. It's hard to pull off, because people who haven't seen all the previous episodes could be confused, which could detract late-comers. God bless the internet for this problem. (Think if Twin Peaks was done today and all of the internet tie-ins that could have happened? Sigh.) The first episode I saw was well into the series, and while I didn't get the ins and outs, it was entertaining enough for me to stop and watch. And I was impressed by what I saw to stop before I got overly spoiled and then started from the beginning.

I think that the shows fulfills its promise. The episodes are tense and sometimes scary. The acting is good - everyone commits fully to the premise and genre. I think Cassidy as the heroine is fabulous. What is nice about a horror film unfolding over 13 episodes is that you get character building that you never get in a feature length. Alliances shift a little back and forth, but the core characters learn about what they are made of, and it is interesting to see the interactions in a more meaningful way. I think it makes you care more about the outcomes than you really do in a slasher movie. Although, CBS has been playing up the characters as being stock stereotypes - the "good girl," "flirt," "nerd," etc.

Abby's best friend (the groom) is well played by tv veteran (or seems to be at this point) Christopher Gorham, who summered on the island, working on the docks. He's getting married to a wealthy man's daughter, who also summered there. The shows plays with class issues, friendships, secret affairs, betrayals, etc., as you would expect a good stuck-on-a-remote-island-with-an-unknown-killer type plot to do. Also, the location, the remote island that is foggy and drizzly, is perfect for the plot. Not to mention straight from Agatha Christie's playbook (and not in a bad way, the woman knew what she was doing). The plot builds in a satisfying way, even if I do not quite understand the hows and whys yet. I hope all the ends are neatly tied up.

Tonight I'm going to cozy up to the tv and watch the final two episodes. I've got a blanket ready to hide beneath, in case it all gets too much. Catch the episodes here, if you're looking for a thrill.

Heart (part 1)

The weather continues to be wacko around here, but I'm looking forward to the purported 70 degree weather tomorrow. Has anyone else been watching Flight of the Conchords this season? Because I *love* the song above. It's from an episode directed by Michel Gondry. How could I not love it?

I happened to catch Writer's Almanac on Tuesday, just in time to hear the poem "Late Winter Rains" by Amber Coverdale Sumrall. Lance has been talking this week about reading aloud, and I had just heard this poem, which is gorgeous by the way. I encourage a listen. I think poetry should be heard.

Not only is the weather getting better, but I've got three trips ahead of me. I'm off to Charleston over my break with some old friends. I can't wait for a break from school, hanging out by the beach - even if it's cold - and taking some photographs. In early April I'm going to Chicago to see Andrew Bird with Natasha. Over my birthday I'm heading to Minneapolis for a week to visit family and go to a professional conference. It just so happens that M. Ward is playing and I'm going to meet up with a friend/old professor to see the show. I cannot wait. 

As an extra treat, here's an awesome video that Bird did with my favorite post-apocalyptic marching band, Mucca Pazza. God does this video make me miss the Hideout.

Andrew Bird with Mucca Pazza - "Fitz & The Dizzyspells”

More things that I am loving Monday. Have a good weekend!

Watch Jeopardy this week!

My friend Dan is on Jeopardy this week! Check him out tonight! (See his "Hometown Howdy" here - scroll down to the bottom to find him.)

My Dad and I used to watch Jeopardy together when I was growing up.  We enjoyed heckling the contestants (or maybe that was just me). I am usually disappointed in the little bio/story that people tell about themselves. They often seem so lame to me, although I would be hard pressed to come up with something interesting. In his little interview, my friend Dan apparently gets Alex to say, "erotic," which has to be worth watching the episode, right?

Check him out tonight! Go Dan, go!

Goodbye, No. 10

It's without shock that I heard that David Tennant's days as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who are numbered. He had been playing too coy about the whole deal. The next new season won't air until 2010, but we can enjoy No. 10 in a couple of specials to air next year.

I loved his time as the Doctor, but think it's time to pass the mantle on. It will be interesting to see who is next and how they will interpret the last of the Time Lords, especially because the show itself will be under new management, so to speak. Stephen Moffat will be taking over for series re-creator Russell Davies. Moffat has written some of the best (and personal favorites) episodes in the series, and I'm sure he will take it to new and interesting places.

Thoughts on Primeval

BBC America has a new show for their Sci-Fi Saturday line-up called Primeval. I watched the three first episodes this past weekend, on demand on cable and on air, and was really impressed. The premise sounds a little silly, especially as it involves dinosaurs, but it seems to work.

Eight years ago, evolutionary zoologist Nick Cutter’s wife Helen, also a scientist, went missing without a trace. Now Cutter (Douglas Henshall) and colleague Stephen Hart (James Murray) find that there are anomalies in space and time allowing for prehistoric creatures to come through into our time. And it turns out, Helen might not be dead as believed, but hanging out in different prehistoric times. Cutter and his crew must work each episode to manage new anomalies, and any creatures that may come through them. It’s a little bit like if Buffy’s Hellmouth was mobile and opened onto the Land of the Lost instead of hell.

Sounds a bit silly, right? But it works. I think it’s the tone that makes it work. It plays straight, almost like a standard British police procedural. It doesn’t wink at us at its silliness, like Torchwood does, but gives the anomalies a weight in terms of science. As Cutter says, as he’s trying to explain the magnitude and impact of what is happening to a room full of bureaucrats, they are, “doorways in time – conclusive proof that the past exists.” For anyone who was ever a kid who wondered about dinosaurs, it’s an exciting proposition.

It doesn’t hurt that there is believable chemistry and triangulated interest between several of the characters. The fact that Cutter’s wife may have been avoiding him in prehistory while he pined, twists his interest in the anomalies. The cast is strong and there seems to be set-up for some interesting character arcs. Plus the monsters are awesome. (So far there have been dinosaurs, giant spider/scorpion beasts, ancient crocodiles, and this week's preview promises dodos.)

If you’re interested in Sci-Fi, or are interested in a different type of show before your favorites come back from summer holiday, check out Primeval on BBC America at 9 pm. 

(This is cross-posted at newcritics.)

Some links and upcoming fun

Jennifer and I have been trying to decide if we would live-blog Project Runway, as we did last season.  We missed the first episode, because we are both ridiculously knee-deep in life and various goings on (as well as her new computer being not quite right yet), but we kind of miss the fun.  So we're going to do it, tomorrow night, newcritics, 9pm.  Tune in, and get your snark on.

I have received some fun and interesting links this week.  My friend Nan sent me this link. Scroll down to "It's 10 pm. Do you know where your cat is?"  She thinks I should invest in a GPS backpack for Frank, so I can track his every move.  I wish I could embed something in him to track him with, because I am curious to where he goes on his little jaunts.

My friend Sharon sent me this link about a study on boy-girl twins and how testosterone may affect the female twin in utero.  It sounds like the testosterone affects mice more than humans, but I guess I do like to travel far from home.  (AG, I'd love to hear your opinion.)

This link I found last week and sent to my Jim Henson-loving friend.  I may have to visit DC soon so I can see the Henson exhibit.  It will be a couple of years before it makes it to Chicago.

The final link is to a small bit on Morning Edition from today.  I almost spit out my yogurt and berries when I heard it, because I knew the pastor involved must have been related to my friend Amanda.  I talked to her today and I was right.

Join us tomorrow night for Project Runway!

UPDATE:  The post is now up!  Join us tonight at 9/8pm!

I do not feel a scream coming on

Today started foggy - I was exhausted.  I was pretty focused in the afternoon and somehow got a lot of research done for a paper I'm writing on shrinking cities.  My studious behavior made me late to a reception my department was having, and (much to my surprise) I found out I won an honorable mention in a poster competition!  I really thought the person who told me confused me with someone else or was kidding.  I'm fairly tickled about it.

This weekend I went to a reunion for a place that was really important to me, and I will post about it tomorrow.  I planned on posting on it tonight, but I got a little distracted.  The Self-Styled Siren inspired me to watch The Shop on the Corner.  My mother hates Jimmy Stewart, but there are things that I love him in.  Particularly this scene (from a different movie, but so good).

Did anyone else catch the lame-o finale to Gossip Girl?  I'm assuming the floppiness of the last couple of episodes can be blamed on the strike, right?  How else to explain what was building to be a juicy arch fall flat, right?  In my head I had written a much more salacious ending.

I also watched the Reaper finale and was pleasantly surprised.  That show has been a pleasant surprise its entire season.  It's not going to change your world,and it's weekly storyline can be a little repetitive, but it's consistently entertaining, and actually liked the twist at the end this season (unlike GG).  I also think Ken Marino and Michael Ian Black have been perfect as demons plotting against the Devil.